In liquid detergent compositions for the washing of textile fabrics, cationic polymer is sometimes included for reasons such as dye-transfer inhibition. Preferred compositions that give good dye-transfer inhibition results comprise as surfactant only nonionic surfactant(s) or are rich in nonionic surfactant(s). However, when the composition is an isotropic aqueous liquid composition and practical amounts of polymer and/or salts are included, then incompatibility between the nonionic surfactants and/or salts can lead to cloudiness or even physical instability.
We have now found that partially replacing the nonionic surfactant with anionic surfactant(s) solves the problem of incompatibility with the cationic polymer. Moreover we have found that when the anionic surfactant is partially or totally a soap, then the incompatibility of the composition with the salts is further significantly reduced. A further advantage of using soap in isotropic formulations is improved foam control, since the compatibility of isotropic formulations with silicon antifoam is often a problem.